"You should rest and recuperate first. You can go see her once your injuries have healed," Ye Qing instructed, still worried.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself," Nan Gong Yu said warmly. "This injury isn't entirely a bad thing."
Ye Qing understood. Nan Gong Yu meant that his and Xiao Man's injuries had brought the struggle for the throne into the open. The Emperor would suspect the other princes of harming their brothers with malicious intent. Nan Gong Yu could then use the excuse of recuperation to reap the benefits.
"Miss Luo, His Highness needs to rest and cannot be disturbed," Si Chen blocked Luo Bing Qing, preventing her from entering to disturb Nan Gong Yu.
Luo Bing Qing was both angry and anxious. Luo Bing He immediately pulled Luo Bing Qing away. "Qing'er, what are you doing? Senior Brother is injured, I want to stay with him."
"Qing'er, Junior Brother he..." Luo Bing He didn't know how to begin. He knew his sister was fond of the Qin King, but now the Qin King already had someone in his heart, and his sister had no chance.
"Brother, help me. I cannot live without Senior Brother," Luo Bing Qing clung to Luo Bing He's arm and pouted. The position of Qin Wang Fei could only be hers. Everyone knew their clan had sacrificed a great deal for the Qin King.
"Qing'er, why don't you understand? Junior Brother already has someone he likes..."
Luo Bing Qing quickly covered her ears with her hands. "I don't want to hear you speak!"
Luo Bing He looked at his sister's demeanor with some helplessness. "Qing'er, Junior Brother is a prince, unlike people of the martial world. He always has his principles. If he truly liked you, after so many years together, he would have fallen for you long ago. But he doesn't. He didn't before, and he won't in the future."
"I don't listen, I don't listen!"
Luo Qing He looked at the stubborn Luo Bing Qing with sympathy. Of course, he wished his sister could get what she desired. But that person was the Qin King, someone no one could control. If anyone dared to force him to marry a woman he didn't like, that woman would not only receive no pity but would be sent to hell.
"Come home with me," Luo Bing He said gently. "This place is not suitable for you."
Luo Bing Qing turned away. The first time she saw Nan Gong Yu, she had fallen in love with that boy who resembled an immortal child. After years of love, it was not so easy to give up.
"I will not leave this place. Even if I die, I will die by Senior Brother's side! If you want to leave, Brother, you can go by yourself."
General's Mansion, Shui Yue Xiao Zhu.
Xiao Man was still unconscious. If not for her pale complexion, she would have looked as if she were merely asleep.
Qiu Tong watched Xiao Man, who was still in a deep sleep. She spread a quilt on the footstool and sat by Xiao Man, worried that Xiao Man would wake up to find no one by her side.
The candlelight in the room flickered and then returned to normal. Qiu Tong had fallen into a deep sleep. A gaunt figure appeared by the bed, looking at the unconscious Xiao Man and reaching out a hand towards her.
Suddenly, the person lying unconscious on the bed grabbed the outstretched hand. The figure was startled. The person on the bed sat up. "I've got you, Senior."
The visitor was none other than Wan Du Zi.
"You little fox, aren't you supposed to be unconscious?"
Xiao Man moved her neck. "If I weren't unconscious, would you, old man, have come to see me?"
"You've set a trap for me!" Wan Du Zi was so angry his goat beard trembled.
Just as Xiao Man was about to reply, she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Seeing this, Wan Du Zi quickly checked Xiao Man's pulse. He was greatly alarmed. "You're truly seeking death!"
Xiao Man wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. "If I hadn't sought death, I would have died already."
"What's the difference between that and being dead?" Wan Du Zi moved his wrist. "Let go."
Xiao Man released her hand and glanced at Qiu Tong lying on the footstool. She then leaned against the bed and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing. "Thank you, Senior, for saving me twice."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Wan Du Zi pretended to be deaf and blind.
"Senior, the petals of the Purple Robe Immortal can indeed cure Yan Zi's poison when eaten directly, but they must be consumed with the pistil. Otherwise, it will produce aphrodisiac poison."
Wan Du Zi chuckled, "You were quite happy to be poisoned, weren't you, little girl?"
Xiao Man's face darkened, but due to her weakness, she could only say, "You nearly killed me."
"Is that so?" Wan Du Zi leaned close to Xiao Man. "Shouldn't you be thanking me for giving you the opportunity to dedicate yourself?"
Xiao Man looked at the disrespectful Wan Du Zi and felt a headache coming on. "Senior, you must have a purpose for following me all the way to the capital, right?"
The smile on Wan Du Zi's face vanished. He sat down and tapped the table restlessly. Guessing aimlessly was useless; it was better to ask Xiao Man directly. "What is your relationship with Feng Tian Lan?"
"Master and disciple."
"Who did Feng Tian Lan kill with the Marrow Cleansing Poison?"
Xiao Man looked quietly at Wan Du Zi. "Someone who is very important to me."
"More important than Feng Tian Lan?"
Xiao Man did not rush to answer. Instead, she extended her hand and looked at the lines on her palm. The line representing her lifespan was broken in the middle and then branched out into another line. Such a palmistry reading indicated a short life.
"Between my master and me, if I don't kill him, he will eventually kill me."
Wan Du Zi was not surprised by these words. Feng Tian Lan was extremely wicked and inhuman. Killing his disciple was no different from crushing an ant to him.
"I thought you would express some filial affection, but I didn't expect you to see things so clearly."
"Senior, you have a grudge against him too, don't you?"
"He killed my senior brother, framed me, and turned me into this grotesque form. I will not rest until he is dead!"
"So, Senior, you want to cooperate with me?" Xiao Man asked with interest.
"Little girl, we will be mutually beneficial."
Xiao Man nodded vigorously like a pecking chick. "Yes, mutually beneficial. I have someone here who wants to study medicine. She has some foundation. Would you be willing to take her as a disciple and teach her medicine and toxicology?"
Wan Du Zi stared at Xiao Man suspiciously. "You little fox, what are you plotting now?"
"Mutually beneficial, remember?"
"Then what's the benefit for me?"
"I'll provide you with lodging, food, clothing, and money. How about that?"
"Do you think I'm short of money?"
"In this capital city, it's not easy to remain undiscovered by my master and your enemies." Xiao Man's body was still weak, and after a few words, she began to cough again. Wan Du Zi frowned and, with a pang of pain, took out a box and handed it to Xiao Man.
"One pill a day to nourish your dilapidated body."
Xiao Man took it, opened it, and took out a pill. She looked at Wan Du Zi. "Please, Senior, help me get a cup of water."
Wan Du Zi poured a cup of water with a look of disdain and handed it to Xiao Man. After watching Xiao Man take the pill, he continued, "My only enemy is Feng Tian Lan."
"Not necessarily," Xiao Man placed the medicine box by her pillow. "Brother Ye has been searching the world for your whereabouts, vowing to chop you into eighteen pieces and steam, braise, and boil them all to avenge his master. He firmly believes you killed his master."